Gas drillers make waves in Pa. with NFL tickets

Feb. 24, 2011

Written by

Marc Levy

Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Members of the natural gas industry have showered campaign contributions and offers of Super Bowl tickets on some Pennsylvania officials, who say their policy decisions won't be influenced by it.

But the executive director of the government watchdog Common Cause Pennsylvania says it's human nature to be influenced. Executive Director Barry Kauffman says campaign contributions and gifts typically get the givers access to public officials.

Unlike most states, Pennsylvania has no limits on individual campaign contributions or gifts to public officials.

New Republican Gov. Tom Corbett received nearly $1 million in campaign contributions from the gas industry.

Corbett supports the expansion of drilling on state forest lands and has pledged to oppose any tax on production in the Marcellus Shale formation primarily beneath Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. He says contributions won't influence policy decisions.